First Look: Dylan O’Brien in ‘American Assassin’

It’s damn good to see Dylan O’Brien back in front of the camera! After suffering a serious accident while filming Maze Runner: The Death Cure, O’Brien, who is known for his work on MTV’s Teen Wolf as Stiles, has returned to work in front of the camera, this time for a damn exciting project. The Death Cure isn’t set to return to production until early 2017, leaving plenty of time for the rising star to get to work on his own potential long-lasting franchise, American Assassin.

The big screen adaptation of Vince Flynn’s book(s) sees O’Brien play Mitch Rapp, a CIA Black Ops recruit. American Assassin, which is expected to be the kickstart movie in a big franchise, follows Rapp’s early rise as a CIA Black Ops recruit. Working under the instruction of a Cold War veteran, played by Michael Keaton, Rapp is tasked with investigating apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets, which leads them on the trail of a mysterious operative, played by Taylor Kistch, whose intention is to start World War III.

The first look image isn’t anything revealing, but it’s a nice look into the return of O’Brien. His accident was a big deal earlier this year, and with the young actor on the rise in the business, many will be quite happy to see him back in front of the camera. While I enjoy The Maze Runner franchise, that’s mainly due to O’Brien himself. He was my personal choice for Marvel’s Spider-Man, and although he didn’t get it, in no way did I think his phone would stop ringing. I’m excited to see what he brings to this role, as well as what he brings opposite someone like Michael Keaton. This could be a big breakout performance/franchise for the young Teen Wolf star. American Assassin is directed by Michael Cuesta (Homeland, Kill the Messenger) and does not yet have a release date.

American Assassin follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War in the Middle East.